Alive
by resurrection-rings
Summary: Thinking Ginny to be dead, Harry receives word from his friends in the Order of the Phoenix that suggests she may have actually been kidnapped, and that there is a terrible plot afoot.
1. Chapter 1

**All ideas and characters associated with this story are the property of J.K. Rowling.**

Prologue - The Funeral

Harry Potter stood against the cold, his black trench coat whipping in the brisk winter breeze. It was hard for him not to cry as he walked down the gravely walkway, unable to stop the incessant thinking going on inside his head, the on and on pattern of grief followed by regret. He knew it was a bad idea to be alone, he knew his friends would be missing him soon, but he couldn't help it. This was the only place that felt right to be.

Reaching the end of the pathway, he forked left into a sprawling graveyard, knowing instinctively where to go. He'd always wondered how people were supposed to find their loved ones in this mass of gravestones, but today he could understand. It wasn't an earthly force that guided him to the grave, it was something instinctive, an emotion that super ceded rational thought.

He wove through the graves of Allen and Davey, and Fulton and Hilly, too many names to count really, until he reached that name so famous in the wizarding world. He read the lettering, engraved carefully into the polished slab of granite.

_Here lies Ginny Potter._

_Courageous, Bold, Bright._

He had put a lot of thought into those three words- he thought she would want something like that, not too mushy, but everyone who read it had to know she was something great.

Kneeling in front of the stone, he placed down a single yellow flower, picked from the garden Ginny had dug out in only a day- with only a little help from her wand. Taking a moment to look at the other bouquets scattered about the field, he thought his was the most beautiful. Not in its bright color, or excessive beauty, but in its solidarity, did Harry find it transfixing. It seemed to possess the same spirit Ginny once did, independent, blossoming in the most unlikely of places.

If only she had blossomed just a little longer. If only she hadn't decided to drive all the way home that day...

A single tear rolled down Harry Potter's cheek, followed by another and another and another...


	2. Chapter 2

Hope

The black night, devoid of stars, seemed to envelope Harry as he walked alone down the cobblestone path.

It had been six months since Ginny's funeral, and his subsequent trip to her grave. Since then, he had been back many times, but nighttime strolls became even more of a habit for him than these heart-wrenching visits to his love's resting place. They were a good way to numb the pain.

He could only hear two things at this time of night: the steps of his feet on stone, and the rhythmic beat of his own heart. Together, these sounds became hypnotic, lulling Harry into a hazy dream state. Here, he didn't have to think about loss, or responsibility. Here, he simply reminisced about old times. Images of the Great Hall and the Gryffindor common room always flashed through his mind constantly, making him smile, just a moment before reality sunk back in.

On this particular day, however, something was different. Harry just couldn't shake the feeling that something — someone — was following him. Although it was barely audible, he could swear that every time his foot hit the ground in front of him, a second footstep came from just behind him. Once he even whirled around to confront his stalker, but only blackness stared back at him when he did so. He was alone.

Continuing to walk, Harry admired the bright red flowers and forest green shrubbery that lined his walking path. He loved the way the roses stood out again the black, how independent they were. He sort of envied them in a way. They only needed water and sun to thrive.

"Pssssst!" One rose suddenly screamed. "Harry!"

Harry jumped back, thoroughly startled. The flower's petals opened outward with every word, and a thin line of razor sharp teeth could be seen inside.

"Pssst!"

"…Hermione?"

"Yes, it's me!" said the rose. "Hurry up, you're being followed!"

"What?"

"Oh, just get in!"

Suddenly tires screeching against pavement sounded out into the night as a tall, purple bus turned the corner onto Harry's street. He couldn't help but smile a little upon seeing the tell-tale bobble- head hanging in the windshield.

The driver, however, made Harry much more inclined to laugh. Ron, hair completely disheveled a look on his face like he just got a Howler from his mother. "Why hello Ron, how are you?

"Hanging in there Harry, hanging in there."

"Well good to see you mate," Harry said chuckling, as he started moving towards the main street from his little cobblestone sidewalk.

"So what is this all ab-"

A green light shot out of the sky, crashing into the nightbus' open doors, sending shattered glass into the street. With that, Harry dove onto the bus, trying to get a glimpse of where the attack had come from. But he was only able to see a flash of red as whoever it was sent a stupefying charm hurtling toward him. Ron struggled wildly to get the bus into gear, but the spell still managed to hit its target before he pulled away into the night, now hauling an unconscious Harry Potter.

Hermione was going to kill him.


	3. Chapter 3

Reunited

"Hermione we're here!" Ron yelled up the spiral staircase at Hermione. He dragged Harry to the dinning room, propping his still body up in front of a plate of roast beef and a frothing glass of butter beer.

"Coming!" Hermione yelled from upstairs.

The steps and floorboards of 1041 Stonewich Drive creaked as she skipped down to where she had heard Ron's voice.

"Hello Harry! Why, you're looking rather-"

"RON, what did you DO?"

"Well, uh, uh-" Ron stuttered. "It wasn't really what I did, it's probably more of what I didn't do."

"Oh come on Ronald!" Hermione scolded again, noticing Harry's swollen arm, twisted when he fell on the nightbus. "You couldn't even get him an ice pack!"

"This is what I warned you about Hermione!" a cheery voice echoed from the kitchen, making Ron groan.

"Mom!"

Mrs. Weasley was soon seen scurrying out of the kitchen, ice in hand.

"Well it is true dear, you're really a fool when it comes to high pressure situations."

Ron's face was cherry red, ashamed to admit to himself that he still needed his mother after all he'd been through. Initially, he had protested adamantly against the idea of buying a house in London with his parents, but Hermione had persuaded him that it might be a good thing, and he saw the perks of it himself almost immediately after he caved. Nothing could beat the cooking of Mrs. Weasley's steady wand.

Harry slowly began to come around as the ice was applied to his sensitive arm, groggy and slow to react.

"Wha, what's happening?"

"Nothing to worry about dear," Mrs. Weasley soothed him. "We have Arthur watching all the kids at your house. Just us four here."

"Here, here where?"

"Well I suppose you could call us what's left of the Order of the Phoenix," Hermione said. "After everyone else retired or decided they weren't needed or-"

"Well it's just us now. But this is our new headquarters. 1042 Stonewich Drive. We thought the name was sort of fitting."

Looking around, Harry smiled, "It's perfect."

The inside of the house was almost an exact replica of the Burrow and Grimmauld Place, combined together in one chaotic but beautiful collage of furniture, color schemes, and relics of a time gone by. A couple details here and there weren't spot on, but it was better that way - it meant this didn't all happen by magic. It was just hard work and memory.

Now that Harry was fully alert, Ron cleared his throat. "Well, hey, it's good to see you mate."

"Yes, I think we've already reacquainted ourselves quite nicely," said Harry, in remembrance of Ron's heroic, yet somewhat flawed plan to rescue him from his would-be assailant.

And then they hugged. The three of them - plus Mrs. Weasley of course - were finally back again.

Hermione had to force tears back, fanning her eyes with her hands. "It's great to see you again Harry."


End file.
